On October 2nd, Shonna Neil, FSCO's Senior Manager, Licensing, was elected Chair of the Canadian Insurance Services Regulatory Organizations (CISRO). This is a unique role for Ms. Neil as her election marks the first time a FSCO staff member has served as CISRO Chair.

CISRO is a national group which brings together insurance regulators from across Canada. The group's mission is to promote harmonization among regulators, and to foster consensus regarding issues of insurance regulation.

FSCO is a strong believer in promoting harmonization. FSCO regulates about 40,000 insurance intermediaries, and one of our strategic priorities is to coordinate a national approach to regulatory issues.

CISRO is an ideal platform for Ms. Neil to engage with regulators from other provinces and territories. Our colleagues are dealing with similar regulatory issues, and CISRO is an opportunity to learn from them and share our expertise.

As Chair, Ms. Neil brings extensive experience to the position. She advanced through a number of progressively challenging positions in the insurance industry prior to joining the OPS in 1990. In the OPS, she held the position of Mediator at FSCO's predecessor, the Ontario Insurance Commission, and was later appointed Manager of Mediation Services in 1998.

Ms. Neil will be responsible for ensuring that the priorities and objectives outlined in CISRO's Strategic Plan are carried out. Ms. Neil is currently working on launching a website for the group, and she will also represent CISRO at public events and in the trade media.